Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 155: Something Found

Hot and exhausted, William ducked through the flap to his tent and peeled his sweat soaked shirt from his back. He was startled by a gasp while his shirt was still obscuring his eyes.

Ah, fuck. He’d completely forgotten Joan would still be in his tent.

William stood, shirtless and still. He looked down. Joan was sitting on the ground and gazing up at him in surprise but also with obvious admiration. Her eyes roamed over his exposed chest and belly.

Feeling his face turn uncomfortably hot, he quickly crossed the tent in two steps and pulled out a clean shirt from his satchel. "Sorry," he muttered as he tugged it on. "I forgot about you being here."

The young woman was wide eyed. "What happened to your shoulder, my lord?"

"A battle a few weeks ago with the Moraigthians." William said. "It’s healing well enough, though. And at least it’s not my sword arm."

"Even with the bandages, you’re by far the most handsome man I’ve ever met." Joan said breathlessly.

"Thank you." he replied shortly. "After sunset, I’ll have one of my trusted knights lead you back to the group of villagers you said you forage with. I’ll see if I can’t find some food for you to take back to share with them."

Joan’s mouth dropped open in shock and disappointment. "You’re sending me away?"

"Well, yes." William wasn’t expecting such a reaction. "What did you think I’d do? This is a battlefield, not a pleasure outing amongst friends."

"But why can’t I stay with you, my lord?" she wheedled. "Plenty of soldiers keep women in their tents."

"I don’t." William had dallied with doxies in past campaigns but had no intention of doing it now. "I told you, I have a wife."

"Yes, but she’s not here and who knows how long this war will be? Surely you can’t be expected to live like a monk all this time? A strong, handsome man like you deserves comfort while you fight for our kingdom." Joan looked up at William expectantly, then started unlacing the neckline of her dress.

William gave her a flat look. "Don’t waste your time or my patience. You’re going back to where you were found yesterday. Do you want me to arrange a knight to escort you back or not?"

"Escort me back to what, exactly?" Joan’s voice became hard. "Foraging in the swamps and begging for scraps, because I’ve no home or family to return to? Why would anyone want to go back to that again?"

William’s tone softened. "I know it’s a terrible situation you find yourself in and that you’ve suffered-"

"No. You don’t, my lord." Joan’s voice cut through, her face twisting. "You can’t truly understand the suffering of the common people when you’re a prince. Do you know what it’s like to have someone take advantage of your hunger and desperation? What it’s like to have to crawl into a stranger’s tent at night and hope they won’t be too cruel as they brutalise you?"

"You’re right, I don’t." William said with honesty. "And I’m sorry for all that you’ve endured, Joan. This war isn’t something the Islian royal house wanted or sought. I’m just here trying to help end it as quickly as possible."

With a tired groan, he sat on the ground facing her. "There are very few winners in a war. Everyone is struggling, just in different ways. I promise, my position isn’t easy either. I get no pleasure in seeing my men being slaughtered around me."

Mutely, Joan nodded.

"And I’m sorry you came across my cousin last night." William muttered, feeling a surge of anger at Leo. He knew Leo well enough though, to know that he’d have seen nothing wrong in what he’d proposed to Joan. She was hungry and his cousin was sleeping alone - Leo would’ve simply have seen an obvious potential transaction. There was little room for emotion in his world.

"Are you sure I can’t stay here with you, my lord?" Joan’s voice was pleading. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Yes, I’m sure. I have nothing to offer you. And I can’t guarantee you protection, given I’m called away at a moment’s notice to train or fight. This camp is constantly on the move. We can be called away at any time, to march for miles."

"Can’t I just march with you?"

William laughed, then pressed his lips together. She had been serious.

After a couple moments of awkward silence, William stood up and said to her, "I’ll find us something to eat. You must be hungry and I sure as hell am. It’s going to be safer for you to leave the camp and find your fellow villagers before the sun sets."

William turned on his heel and clambered out into the late afternoon light, eager to evade the uncomfortable conversation. He had to find a way to get rid of Joan, with kindness because he was sympathetic to her situation. But she couldn’t stay and she sure as hell wasn’t becoming his responsibility.

Several minutes passed before William could return to his tent, carrying two steaming bowls of stew. He silently handed one to Joan then sat down to place his own bowl in his lap. Pulling a small loaf of bread from his trouser pocket, he broke it into two pieces and gave her the larger one.

They both ate without speaking for a while. William silently observed as Joan once again attacked the food ravenously, spooning the bland barley stew as if she feared the bowl would be ripped out of her hands at any moment.

William softened his piece of rock hard bread by dipping it into the stew and chewed thoughtfully. He decided he’d ask Robin to take Joan back to the riverbanks as soon as she finished eating. Lost in his thoughts, he eventually looked up and saw that Joan had finished her food and was staring at him, expectantly.

"Are you sure there’s no way I can thank you for your kindness, my lord?" Joan smiled at him, her eyes raking down his body.

"Yes, quite sure." William said dispassionately. He looked at her for a moment. She was rather pretty, he conceded. In the past, he wouldn’t have turned her down for a night or two. He moved to stand up.

Before he could, however, Joan had pulled him down by his right arm, then dropped herself into his lap. She wound her arms around his neck as he momentarily sat frozen in shock from her brazenness.

"You are utterly gorgeous to look at, Your Grace. Surely there must be a way I can show my appreciation-"

"For fucks sake, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m not interested?" William pushed her roughly off his lap, his voice rising to an angry yell.

Joan tumbled back awkwardly and narrowed her eyes. "What is it? Do you not like women?"

William laughed at the ridiculous question. "I like women very much. That’s not the problem." One woman in particular, he thought to himself.

"Then what is?" Joan challenged. "Please don’t tell me it’s because you have a wife. Who knows how many months or years it might be before you see her again?"

William flinched at the thought of being separated from Camilla for years.

"Besides, how can you be sure she’ll be faithful to you, my lord?"

At that, William bared his teeth. "I’ll let that comment pass because you don’t know my wife. But you’re never to speak of her that way again, understood?"

Looking a little stunned at his harsh tone, Joan rushed to reply. "I’m very sorry to offend, Your Grace. I’m not trying to insult her. I’m simply offering you the company of someone who understands the hardships of war, from having seen them. How could someone understand what you’ve been through, when they’ve been cocooned in safety all this time? Eating fine food and sleeping in a soft bed all this time you’ve been out here?"

Remembering all the things Camilla had told him about summers spent at the Moraigthian court, about what she saw and heard when Arlen Castle was sacked, William knew his wife was well aware of the horrors of war and evil.

William gave Joan a thin smile. "We all have known suffering in different ways, even if it’s not always obvious. Now, I’m going to find one of my men. His name is Robin Sainsbury and you can trust him to treat you well."

Standing up, William pinned Joan with a stare that told her his patience was all used up. "You can either let Robin escort you back to where Leo found you, or you can brave it alone. It’s your choice but either way, I’ve done all I can for you now. We’re all fending for ourselves at this point."

Joan stood up and brushed past him, throwing a petulant look at William before she flounced out of the tent.

William shrugged at her foolishness. He had a hunch he’d be seeing Joan around for a while.